Properties of over the age of 65 years patients presenting to Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine Emergency Department

Aim: Elderly is accepted as an irreversible process of human life. Knowing the characteristics of geriatric illnesses in emergency department may be a guide for correct diagnosis and urgent treatment approach. The aim of our study is to analyze the data of geriatric patient applicants, with the results obtained to plan what can be done in the future. Methods: ？n this study, The records of 2101 patients aged 65 years and older who were referred between January 2012 and January 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. Registration of patients age, sex, type of application, time of application, complaints, distribution of complaints, preliminary diagnosis, discharge and admission rates were investigated. Results: Total number of patients were 14754. The number of patients aged 65 years and over was found as 2101 (14.2%).( 1111 men (52.9%); 990 women, (47.1%)). Age range of our patients; Age 65-74 years 43.8%, age 75-84 years 45.4%, over 85 years was 10.8%. Our patients were admitted with private vehicles (52.4%) and ambulance (40.6%). 15.8% of the patients were hospitalized, 2.3% were referenced. 26 patients were died. 331 patients were hospitalized, 28.7% of patients were hospitalized in intensive care unit. The most hospitalized department was; 106 patients with internal medicine and 88 patients with cardiology. Patients complients were abdominal pain (15.7%), shortness of breath (15.7%), chest pain (11.2%). The most common diseases were cardiovascular diseases (20.2%), oncological diseases (14.3%), respiratory system diseases (11.1%) and gastroenterological diseases (10.1%). When the pre-diagnosis of the patients was examined, 15.4% was oncologic diseases, 8.9% was heart failure, 6.9% was COPD and asthma. Conclusion: With the increasing older population, the use of emergency services by elderly patients is increasing. It is seen that elderly patients are referred to emergency services for different reasons in different studies. The rate of elderly patients referred to the emergency departments of the hospitals and identifying common diseases help to organize special sections to be followed by these patients. We think that it will reduce repetitive applications by making a faster and more accurate diagnosis